Sacramento officials seek opinions on proposed 12th Street bike path

Sacramento city officials are soliciting public opinion about their idea of reducing 12th Street from four lanes to three as it comes into downtown. The far west lane on the street would be turned into a two-way bicycling path, separated 5 feet from cars by a crosshatched area with bollards.
Hector Amezcua
hamezcua@sacbee.com

Sacramento city officials are soliciting public opinions about reducing 12th Street from four lanes to three as it enters downtown from Highway 160.

The far west lane on the street would be turned into a two-way bicycling path, separated 5 feet from cars by a crosshatched area with bollards as far south as F Street.

If built, it would be the first full, exclusive bike path directly into downtown, giving bicyclists a safer way in and out of downtown from the northern neighborhoods and from the Two Rivers Bicycle Trail along the American River. City traffic officials say it also will force drivers coming off of Highway 160 into downtown to slow through an area where there are numerous pedestrians.

The city has published a Web page – http://n12street.com – offering details of the project concept and asking for comments.

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City officials anticipate that adding a two-way cycle track would allow bicyclists to ride in both the north- and southbound directions on 12th Street, increasing convenience for northbound bicycle trips and improving safety in connection with the existing sidewalk.

If it is built, 12th Street would be the city’s first multimodal street with light rail, car lanes, a bike track and pedestrian walkways, all essentially separate from each other.